Gotham FC head coach Juan Carlos Amorós described midfielder Jaelin Howell as the “ultimate pro” after the 26-year-old recovered from a right ankle injury to start in Sunday’s playoff quarterfinal victory over Seattle Reign FC.
After limping off in the 23rd minute of last Sunday’s regular-season finale, Howell turned over every stone to ensure that she could take part in Gotham’s NWSL playoff opener.
“Ultimate pro,” Amorós said of Howell during Sunday’s postmatch press conference. “I think Jaelin this week has done absolutely everything that she could when she was awake and even when she was sleeping to make sure she was ready for this game.
“She’s gone and explored some machines that will help her recover. The desire that Jaelin has to win, it was shown this week. But what I’m really proud of, if it’s not Jaelin, probably somebody else that is in that situation is doing exactly the same. So hats off to my team.”
Howell played for 66 minutes in Sunday’s 1-0 victory before she was replaced by veteran midfielder Savannah McCaskill.
Howell Opens Up About Her Ankle Injury
“It was scary last week, but luckily our medical team was super good,” Howell said in the mixed zone after Sunday’s win at Sports Illustrated Stadium. “They worked super hard through the week to be able to get it in a decent spot. A lot of prayers and duct tape, and it was good. So it’ll get better every day. I’m just super thankful and blessed that I have the support around me to get back out there.”
Several Gotham players voiced their concerns about the condition of the Sports Illustrated Stadium pitch. Howell described the surface as “sandy” and “unstable.”
“Yeah, obviously it’s pretty sandy out there,” Howell said. “It’s a little unstable, but I want to be able to give it my all to the team and everything I got. So obviously you can’t think about that. The other team has to play on that, too. We acknowledged it, and we moved on. I think that our team managed it pretty well for the most part.”
Amorós: Gotham Staff Worked ‘Tirelessly’ on Howell’s Recovery
Amorós praised Gotham FC’s medical and performance staff for working overtime to help Howell and several other teammates be available for selection.
“I have to give a shout-out to our medical and performance team,” Amorós said. “They worked tirelessly to make sure that she was ready. I think everyone could see she went on the pitch and gave probably even more than what she had in the tank to help the team.”
Howell and Gotham will host the Kansas City Current in the semifinal round next weekend. Though not officially announced, the semifinal is expected to be played at Sports Illustrated Stadium next Sunday at 3 p.m. Eastern Time.
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